Synchronization is a key aspect of communication networks, i.e. wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH), Optical Transport Network (OTN), Synchronous Ethernet, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), wireless networks, access networks, etc. In network embodiments, timing can be distributed to network elements through external timing references, line timing, holdover based on internal clocks, and the like. With respect to external timing references and line timing, each of these include timing facilities that are received by a network element and used to time various aspects of the network element. Disadvantageously, these timing facilities can include a physical or logical timing loop at some point away from the current network element thereby providing a timing loop to the network element. A timing loop occurs where a timing facility loops back on itself, i.e. at some point an input to the timing facility is connected to an output. From a network element's perspective, a timing loop occurs when at some point before or after the network element, the timing facility input is connected to the timing facility output. The timing loop can be physical or logical. A physical timing loop exists when a transmit fiber is actually connected (i.e., looped) to a receive fiber in the direction of the network element with the associated port assigned as a timing reference. This can occur at patch panels or anywhere the fiber is terminated. A logical loop exists when software is provisioned to provide a loop in the system in any direction, but in this case toward the network element that is attempting to use the facility or port as a timing source. Timing loops disrupt the synchronization within a network making it difficult for the network to recover from failures. Also, timing loops cause jitter (i.e., short-term phase variations) and wander (i.e., long-term phase variation including seasonal changes).